Month: September 2026

Mitchell Kaminski

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

While Missouri sportsbooks recorded their lowest monthly wagering total in July, that figure is expected to surge once the college football season gets into full swing.

Recent figures from the Missouri Gaming Commission show sportsbooks accepted $246.8 million in wagers in July, with baseball bets accounting for $135.2 million of that total.

That marked the lowest monthly wagering total since sports betting was legalized in Missouri, with wagering falling from $258.3 million in June, which included the World Cup and NBA Finals. May previously held the record for the lowest monthly total at $252.5 million.

Despite the decline in overall wagering, taxable revenue increased slightly. Missouri generated more than $21 million in taxable revenue in July, compared with $20 million in June and $13.6 million in May.

The dip in wagering was expected during this lull in the sports calendar and Ryan Butler, a senior news analyst at Covers.com expects Missouri to see some of its highest numbers when football season kicks off. 

“Football is going to be huge. September will be the biggest month ever for Missouri sports betting, besides maybe December, which is a little bit of an abnormality because of all the launches. September is going to be absolutely huge,” Butler said. “October is going to be even bigger. November, December will also be big. Again, December 2025 will always be an outlier. But in those four months coming up September, October, November, December will be the four biggest months for betting in Missouri history.”

But concerns about legalized sports betting and its impact on student-athletes have only grown since the NCAA allowed student-athletes to bet on professional sports, marking a departure from the NCAA’s long-standing prohibition on sports wagering.

The NCAA Committee on Infractions has already released multiple cases involving student-athletes betting on their own games and, in some instances, manipulating outcomes. In January NCAA’s enforcement staff opened sports betting integrity investigations into roughly 40 student-athletes from 20 schools. 

Missouri and the NCAA have some safeguards put in place. 

NCAA President Charlie Baker has made education about sports wagering a top priority. The NCAA Sports Science Institute has developed resources for athletic staff, administrators and student-athletes, including webinars and materials that athletic departments can implement locally. The NCAA has also funded programs such as EPIC, which brings in former student-athletes who experienced issues such as point shaving to share their stories and educate current athletes about the risks of sports wagering.

The Southeastern Conference also requires schools to use Prohibet, a system that monitors unethical or illegal gambling activity.

But harassment from sports bettors is another growing concern for athletes, one that has been fueled in part by the rise of prop betting.

The Show-Me State is one of 13 states with restrictions on individual prop bets. Under Missouri law, betting on player or team props for Missouri collegiate teams is not allowed. Of Missouri’s neighboring states, only Arkansas, Kansas and Kentucky allow prop betting on college sports with no restrictions on team or player props. 

In June, University of Missouri System President Mun Choi issued a reminder to students, faculty, and staff about expectations surrounding sports wagering and the protection of student-athletes.

Choi and the athletic department outlined prohibited behavior for students and employees, including attempting to influence or compromise the outcome of athletic events, sharing confidential information about MU athletes and harassing players.

Violations may breach federal or state law as well as university policies.

According to the University of Missouri, students found to harass athletes or engage in betting-related misconduct are subject to discipline under the university’s Standard of Conduct, which can include warnings, probation, suspension or expulsion. 

Faculty and staff who violate the Standards of Faculty Conduct or MU’s Code of Conduct may face reprimands, suspension or termination. Student-athletes are encouraged to report any harassment so the university can monitor and address potential threats.

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Alison Patton

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Sports programs in Columbia continue to push heat safety protocols during the latest Mid-Missouri heatwave.

This comes after a 20-year-old football player at William Jewell College died after scoring a touchdown on Saturday. MicahJo Barnett‘s was on the sidelines when he had a medical emergency, and the cause of his death is still being investigated.

Since it’s been so hot lately, ABC 17 News looked into how local sports programs are keeping their athletes safe. The ABC 17 Stormtrack Weather team is tracking heat index values more than 100 degrees.

To make sure students are staying safe in the extreme heat, Columbia College head athletic trainer Ryan Novatny said he and his team will be monitoring the heat index values of the turf field with a Wet Bulb Globe Temperature tool.

“It gives us a number that essentially calculates the amount of heat stress on the human body. There are different tiers and different thresholds that, when these are reached, we have to modify our outdoor activity,” Novatny said.

When the reading is below 82 degrees, there are no changes to the activity. When it’s between 82-86.9 degrees, coaches and athletic trainers watch higher-risk players and stay mindful of the heat.

The soccer field closes to unsupervised use, like regular student use, when the field temperature is higher than 82.

Temperatures above that require modifications to the activity. Readings between 87-89.9 degrees require outside practice to be shortened to two hours, with four water breaks lasting four minutes. Temperatures between 90-92 shorten practice to an hour long with the same number and duration of water breaks. Anything above 92 cancels practice.

Battle High School has a similar practice for deciding whether to cancel or prolong outside activities.

“Our coaches do a really good job of actually following those all summer long. We had a few incidents this summer where we had to just cancel practice because it was just too hot,” BHS assistant principal of athletics and activities Sammie Symonds said.

She said she has been reflecting on what happened over the weekend with Barnett.

“When you hear something in the news, it does make it seem like…OK, are we doing everything we can? And then you want to double-check everything that you’re doing, but I am thankful that our training staff is amazing,” Symonds said.

Symonds also said she spent much of Monday working to shift BHS sporting events back an hour, hopefully getting out of the dangerous heat zone.

“I’ve pretty much pushed back almost everything this week so far at 6 p.m. I’m hoping that we will be in the yellow or green by then for most of our games, but that’s basically what I spent my whole day doing,” Symonds said.

She also mentioned that other high schools have communicated that they plan to do the same. North Callaway High School told ABC 17 News that its varsity softball game on Monday night was pushed back an hour because of the heat.

Spectators watching from the stands, stadium or on the sidelines could also be subject to heat illness.

President of the Missouri Athletic Trainers Association Jay Hoffman said the best way to avoid heat illness, for anyone, is to hydrate before going out in the heat and getting used to the heat by increasingly spending more time outside.

“It’s not always easy us that if we have work inside or in office buildings or often times find ourselves in air-conditioned environments, but if you can, incrementally increase the amount of time that you’re spending outdoors,” Hoffman said.

He also suggested wearing big hats, sunglasses, appropriate clothing and taking breaks in the shade when needed.  

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Columbia fighters responded to a building fire call to a University of Missouri dorm on Monday.

Columbia Fire Chief Brian Schaeffer said a fire occurred on the fifth floor of Brooks Hall, a residence hall just north of Faurot Field and is located at 1007 Tiger Ave. Crews were called to the fire at 5:57 p.m.

Residents had to be evacuated, though no injuries were reported. Schaeffer expects students to be able to stay at the dorm tonight. Crews were trying to get the building dried and cleaned up, he said.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Check back for updates.

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